


Like you wanted it forever.

by caitlesshea



Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Aliens, Bunkers, M/M, Missing in Action, Secret Marriage, gone for a week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-03
Updated: 2019-08-03
Packaged: 2020-07-30 15:44:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20099647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caitlesshea/pseuds/caitlesshea
Summary: In the months since Maria and Michael have started dating, Alex has steered clear of both of them. So what does he do when Maria calls in a panic and can't find Michael? Help of course. He's family.OrA Secret Marriage AU nobody asked for.





	Like you wanted it forever.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm back with some more fluff & a secret marriage AU, because I have no chill.
> 
> Thanks to @allthehearteyes & @bestillmyslashyheart as always! One day I will learn how to hyperlink on here.
> 
> Title from Julia Michaels - What A Time ft. Niall Horan.

Alex groans as he hears his phone ringing. Nobody calls him except Kyle and he’s in the midst of a double shift. By the time he pulls his phone out of his pocket it has stopped ringing and he feels grateful until it starts ringing again. 

He looks at the caller and wars with himself about answering. On one hand, Maria never calls but on the other hand Maria  _ never  _ calls, so it could be an emergency. 

“Hello?” Alex asks hesitantly. 

“Alex? Thank God.” Maria’s frantic voice comes through the line. 

“Maria?” 

“Yes. Have you seen Michael?” Maria asks breathlessly and that has Alex pausing. In the months since Maria and Michael have started dating, Alex has steered clear of both of them. Occasional phone calls to Michael for updates on Project Shepherd notwithstanding.

“No.” 

“Are you sure. He’s been missing for almost a week.” Now that is something weird, since Michael usually doesn’t just  _ go _ missing, especially for almost a week. 

He quickly goes online and logs into their bank account and sees no plane or bus charges and there’s no withdrawal for a bunch of cash either, meaning Michael’s probably still in Roswell.

“He didn’t go anywhere.” Alex says nonchalantly as he continues to check their accounts.

“What do you mean?” 

“I mean...he’s in Roswell or somewhere close.”

“I told you. This is just a thing he does.” Isobel’s voice comes through and she sounds bored.

“No it isn’t!” Maria practically screeches.

“Yes it is. He disappears every few months for a couple of days at a time. This is normal.” Isobel placates.

Alex wants to correct her and tell her that while yes, technically Michael  _ did _ leave Roswell every few months it wasn’t just to nowhere. He was always visiting Alex or meeting up with Alex somewhere. Alex doesn’t think this needs to be said though.

“He hasn’t done that in over a year.” Maria states and Alex rolls his eyes. 

“Are you done? Can I go?” Alex asks through the line when it’s clear that Maria and Isobel are nowhere near done arguing about this. 

“No. Alex his truck is here. We need to know where he is.”

“Oh. You’re at the junkyard?” 

“Yes.”

“He’s in his bunker then.” Alex says and goes back to typing what he was working on when the call came in.

“His what?” Maria and Isobel both say. Great, he must be on speaker. He mentally counts to ten and squeezes the bridge of his nose.  _ Does Michael tell Maria anything? _

“His bunker under the trailer. Where he works on his ship.” Alex says slowly. 

“I didn’t know he had a bunker.”.

“Mmm.”

“How do we get him out?” Isobel’s voice comes through sharp.

“Just move the trailer and open the hatch.”

“We can’t do that.” Maria says.

“Have Isobel move it.”

“My tk powers aren’t that strong.” 

Alex groans. “Call Max.”

“He and Liz went on vacation to Cali.” Isobel reminds him gently.

“Call Kyle.” Damn, Alex must really be feeling desperate. 

“No can do.” Isobel’s smirking, Alex can tell. “He’s with Rosa in Albuquerque.” Right. Alex knows this. Kyle took Rosa to her first concert post pod. Hozier. For some brother sister bonding. 

Resigned, he closes down his computer. “I’ll be there in twenty.”

**~~~**

Pulling into the junkyard all these months later is a weird feeling. After that day when Michael never showed up Alex has only been back once, to leave the spaceship console piece on Michael’s bed. 

He pulls up and sees both Isobel and Maria anxiously waiting by the Airstream. He pulls his Jeep up to it and quickly moves it out of the way. When he’s unhooking his Jeep the girls walk over to him. 

“The hatch is there. It releases easily and then it’s a ladder straight down.” Alex points to the hatch. “If he’s really been in there for five days.” Which is the last time he used his credit card, but he doesn’t say that. “He’s going to be hungry. But he won’t be able to eat much, so give it to him slowly.”

“He doesn’t have any food in the Airstream.” Maria says. 

“Okay? Delivery?” 

“He’s pissed off all the drivers.” Isobel smirks almost like she’s enjoying this.

“So go grab him something?” 

“If he’s been down there for almost a week I want to see him. I don’t want to leave and come back.” Maria’s voice is stern but her eyes betray her. 

Alex sighs, loudly. “Grab the peanut butter and crackers he keeps under his bed for emergencies. That should be enough.” Alex starts to walk back towards his Jeep, but turns around. “Oh but make sure you grab the wooden scoops. You know the ones that come with Italian ices, they should be in a baggie with the food.” 

“What?”

“He only has clothes under his bed.”

“What are you talking about?”

“How does he get those wooden spoons?”

“There’s literally no food in his trailer.”

The questions come in such rapid fire succession that Alex has a hard time keeping up. He pauses and looks up at the sky and prays to a deity he doesn’t believe in to give him strength. 

“They aren’t  _ under _ the bed so much as they are under the mattress.” 

They both give Alex clueless looks and he groans and heads into the trailer. 

“Under the mattress?” Maria asks.

“Yeah. You know, most kids in foster care did it. Or kids with abusive parents. Less likely to be found or get stolen that way.” 

Alex lifts Michael’s mattress and pointedly ignores Maria’s look of anger and Isobel’s smile.

He reaches and grabs both boxes that are in the hidey hole near the wall and he puts the peanut butter and crackers on the bed.

“He keeps this stocked at all times, so they shouldn’t be expired.” Alex says as he pulls the spoons out of a box and puts them on the bed.

“Where does he get those?” Isobel points to the spoons.

“Amazon.” Alex shrugs. Maria still hasn’t said anything, and she’s glaring at the food and the other box like it will tell her why Michael hid this from her. 

Isobel must recognize the wooden box as the box Michael keeps mementos in because she’s smirking. Alex isn’t sure why the spoons were in there but now that he has what Michael needs to eat he can leave.

“Okay. I’m just gonna go.” Alex says and turns to leave.

“What is this?” Maria asks quietly as she opens the memento box.

Alex knows what she’ll find. Pictures of Michael and him throughout the years, concert tickets, movie stubs, guitar picks, postcards they’ve written to each other, photos of places they’ve been, Alex’s original dog tags, Michael’s wedding band if he hasn’t lost it, their marriage certificate. 

Isobel breaks the silence. “You’re married?” 

Alex nods while Maria chokes on a sob. He can’t be here anymore. It’s stifling without Michael and he can’t watch both Maria and Isobel look through the tokens of their life together.

“Look. I’ll go get him.” Alex grabs the peanut butter and crackers. “You two, just stay here. I’ll be back.” 

He practically runs out of the trailer and opens the hatch and almost falls in. He steadies himself and calls out.

“Guerin? You in there?” 

A muffled reply comes from Michael. “Thought you weren’t going to call me that anymore?” 

Alex scoffs. “I’m coming down.” When he makes it down the ladder he sees Michael bent over one of his work tables and there’s paperwork everywhere. Paperwork Alex knows has come from Caulfield. He walks over to Michael and leans on the table.

“You know. When I gave you that data I did not mean that you could ignore the world for a week to look at it.” Alex raises an eyebrow at Michael’s confused look.

“Shit. It’s been a week?” Michael asks and has to cough to get his voice to not sound as gravelly. 

Alex nods and hands him the food.

“Thanks.” Michael says quietly as he starts slowly scooping peanut butter onto the crackers. 

“I like what you’ve done with the place.” Alex quips while Michael eats, which earns him a snort.

“You mean you like the safety shower I installed at Liz’s insistence and the mini bathroom? It’s why I don’t smell. I also brought down a mini fridge so I have kinda been eating.” Michael pouts.

“Mmm. I’m sure you have.” Alex gives him a knowing look and Michael sighs. 

“So Maria and Isobel are up in your trailer. They’re the ones who called me. Should warn you though, they found your memory box.”

“Really?” 

“Yep.” Alex pops the ‘p’ and snags a cracker for himself.

“Guess I need to face the music, huh?” 

“Or you could sign the papers.” Michael makes a wounded noise and Alex caves.

“Look. I know we have a lot of unresolved issues but if you’re serious about her we need to have this conversation.”

“Do we have to have it right now?”

“No. But I am leaving. I have work to do.” Alex pushes himself off the table and heads towards the ladder. 

“Alex?” Michael asks quietly as he stands on shaky legs. Alex turns around.

“Thanks.” Alex nods and climbs up. When he gets back to his Jeep, Isobel’s voice stops him. He sees Michael sneak into the trailer to deal with Maria and he’s jealous. He wishes he had somewhere to hide.

“Alex! Wait!” Isobel comes up to him and puts a hand on his Jeep.

“Isobel?” Alex raises an eyebrow and she smirks.

“How long have you two been married?” 

“Long enough.” Alex snaps and sighs. “Since it was legal.”

“And you’re just  _ letting _ him date someone else?” 

“I don’t let him do anything Isobel. He’s free to do as he pleases. That’s never what this was about.” 

“Bullshit.” She says sharply and Alex pauses. 

“It was so he’d know if something happened to me. And so my dad wouldn’t have the power to make decisions for me.” 

“Uh huh. Totally seems like a normal thing.”

“Isobel look.” Alex sighs. “I know how it is. How it’s always been. I was gone. We aren’t together. Now that I’m back he’s not beholden to me or this marriage.”

“Then why are you still married?”

“Ask him.” Alex shrugs. “The night I found out about them I had a lawyer draw up divorce paperwork. He’s had it for months. He won’t sign it.”

“How very Sweet Home Alabama of him.” Isobel snarks. 

Alex rubs his hands over his face and opens his car door. He reaches inside for the case of drinks and hands them to Isobel.

“What is this?”

“Gatorade.”

“I know that. Why do you have Michael’s favorite?” Isobel asks as she shifts the pack of yellow Gatorade’s in her arms.

“Because the order came to the cabin.”

“The order?”

“Yeah. I have it on our Amazon to auto reorder. I forgot to change the address to here.” Alex shrugs.

“You order his things for him?”

“You would trust him on Amazon?” Alex quips and Isobel laughs.

“No you’re right. Maybe it’s so hard for him to sign the papers because he’d lose a lot more than just a marriage certificate, which is all you seem to think it is.” 

“Can you just bring those to him? Please? I have to get back to work.” Alex climbs into his Jeep and is about to close the door when Isobel speaks again.

“Where’s your ring?” 

Alex lifts the chain out from under his shirt to let it hang against him. He sees her nod and she hums an affirmative and he’s about to drive away when she puts a hand on the window.

“Who did all your paperwork? You know...with the Air Force?”

“Isobel…”

“Please I need to know.”

Alex sighs, resigned. “It was Noah.” 

“Was he the only one who knew?”

“No. My CO and some people I work with know.” 

Isobel nods at that and seems to come to a conclusion.

“He never just  _ left  _ did he?”

Alex doesn’t want to answer but what’s one more revelation today? “No.”

“He’s an idiot.”

Alex chuckles. “On that we agree.” 

With that, Isobel turns and heads towards the Airstream, both of them ignoring the yelling from it that they can hear. 

“Alex. I expect you for dinner next week.” Isobel says over her shoulder and then pushes her sunglasses up as she gets to the door and opens it without so much as a knock. Alex smiles and finally drives away. 

**~~~**

Alex pulls the cornbread out of the oven when one of the muffins floats past him.

“They’re hot you know.”

“I know.” Michael says around a mouthful of muffin as he sits at the table. “You made chili?” 

“It’s your favorite.” Alex deadpans as he starts pouring the chili into bowls and putting the cornbread on a plate.

“You knew I’d come by?” Michael asks as he telekinetically opens the fridge and grabs two beers.

“It is laundry day.” Alex quips and joins Michael at the table.

Michael hums his affirmative and Alex sees the laundry bag by the front door. 

“Maria and I broke up.” Michael says after a minute and Alex drops his spoon.

“Why? You didn’t have to do that.”

“I kinda did.”

“I thought you were happy?”

“I was, but…”

“I thought you wanted to try something different.”

“Alex I did, or I do, I don’t know, but…”

“But?”

“Well I couldn’t keep dating her when I didn’t want to sign these.” Michael says as he pulls the divorce paperwork from his back pocket.

“Michael.”

“Alex.”

Alex sighs. “We don’t even know what it’s like to date, much less be  _ married _ .” 

“So we learn.”

“Just like that?”

“Yeah, Alex. Just like that.”

**~~~**

Alex walks into the Wild Pony a couple of days later. He’s been putting off this conversation with Maria for months, and he isn’t sure he wants to have it, but he knows he needs to. 

“We’re closed.” Maria’s voice rings through the empty bar.

“Even for me?” Alex teases quietly. Maria gasps and turns to look at him.

“No. Take a seat.” Maria points to a stool and grabs him a beer. 

“Thanks.” Maria nods as he takes a swig. 

“Alex I…if I knew you two were married…” Maria trails off when Alex shakes his head.

“Listen. It was never like that.” 

Maria tilts her head and looks at Alex. “You don’t believe that.”

“I’m not sure what to believe. I know that when we got married it was under the premise that I didn’t want my dad to have medical power over me. I had a bad feeling about my last deployment and when Michael suggested that we get married so he’d know if something happened, I didn’t say no. We never talked about it in other terms. Or what it would man for us, as a couple, or as anything really.” 

“You’re both idiots.” 

“You aren’t wrong.” Alex chuckles then sobers. “That’s why, as soon as I found out he was seeing you, I had those papers drawn up. I never wanted to come between you and him. Or him finding happiness.”

“He never signed them.” Maria states although it’s more of a question.

“No. I didn’t even realize to be honest. I guess the lack of a phone call from my lawyer should’ve been an indicator, but we’ve never had a  _ traditional _ marriage, so to speak, so us not seeing each other, or talking to each other, wasn’t all that weird.” 

“You were still seeing him though?”

“For mundane things, like laundry and finances.” 

“But you never brought up the papers?”

“No. I didn’t. I’m sorry about that. I am. I should’ve tried harder to get him to sign them, to separate our already messy lives.” Alex hangs his head.

“You should’ve never had to do that.” Alex looks up at that. 

“What?”

“I knew what he meant to you, or at least I thought I did. I was being selfish for once, and I used you to get there. I’m sorry.”

“Maria.”

“No. No. There are a lot of mistakes to go around here. But I think for once I can see it. You and him. You need to talk to each other and figure things out. If you both still want that divorce than you should do that.”

Alex nods and is about to say something when his phone rings. He doesn’t think twice before he answers the Air Force number.

_ “Sir.” Alex says into the phone. _

_ “Is this Captain Guerin speaking?” _

_ “Yes sir. This is Captain Guerin.”  _

_ “I have your discharge papers on my desk. You’ll need to come in next week.” _

_ “Yes sir. I’ll be there.”  _

_ “I’ll see you then.” _

_ “I’ll see you then, Major.”  _

Alex hangs up and glances at Maria who has her mouth hanging open. 

“Captain Guerin?” Maria asks quietly and Alex winces. 

“Yeah.” Alex sighs.

“You changed your name? When did you change your name?”

“After we got married. It made it harder for my father to track me.”

“Alex.”

“It wasn’t like that.”

“You keep saying that. But sweetie, it’s very much like that. Look, I’m glad we talked, but I’m not the one you should be talking to.”

“Maria.”

“All I’m saying is that we’ll all get over this eventually. I just need some time.”

“I understand. I asked the same thing of you when you two started dating.”

“We never quite got there.”

“It’s because I didn’t want to.” Alex says finally, admitting it not only to Maria, but to himself. Maria nods her head thoughtfully. 

“Maybe that’s all you need to know.”

“Thanks Maria.” Alex gets up to leave and Maria squeezes his hand and nods at him. 

Alex isn’t sure they’ll ever get back what they had before that night in Texas, so long ago, when Alex had walked away and Michael went to Maria. He knows the three of them have a lot of hurt to unpack and feelings to work through. 

But first, he’s going to go home to his husband. The rest will sort itself out. 

  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Come find me on Tumblr - same username!


End file.
